Sports

The rivalry was once among the most legendary in Section V - Caledonia-Mumford vs. the Oatkan Knights of Le Roy.

The rivalry waned when leagues were realigned a few years ago, and starting next season, the once fierce fighters on the field will be brothers on the gridiron. 

Both school districts have approved, pending Section V approval, a merger of the two football programs.  The merger will affect all levels of football in both communities.

The Knights are coming off a 2023 campaign in which the team won its record-setting 16th Section V title.

The Le Roy Central School District said in a statement on Tuesday evening:

Please know that this decision was made with the best interests of our students and our school district in mind and keeps the mission of our shared services committee central to our decision-making. The decision to merge football teams with the Caledonia-Mumford CSD reflects the collaborative spirit and commitment to providing exceptional opportunities for our student-athletes.

The statement acknowledged the rich football history in both communities and said the merger would strengthen football opportunities for all age groups and help both districts sustain 11 main football programs.

The district said there would be future announcements about the plan to carry out the merger, practice and game schedules and locations, and a selection of a head coach and additional coaching staff.

"The team name, mascot, and colors will also be determined by student-athletes in partnership with our athletic directors and coaching staff at a later date," the statement read. 

It concluded, "We are excited about this merger and the future of the Caledonia-Mumford and Le Roy football program."

Over the past few seasons, Cal-Mum has been merged with Byron-Bergen for football and cheerleading.  On Tuesday evening, Athletic Director Rich Hannan and Superintendent Pat McGee issued the following statement.

We are writing to update everyone on a developing situation with our football and fall cheer program here at Byron-Bergen. Last week we were made aware that Cal-Mum is exploring a new partnership for their football and fall cheer squad that does not include Byron-Bergen. While we did not initiate this change, we are already actively exploring possibilities for our student-athletes to continue competing in their chosen fall sports.

Batavia Notre Dame, a merged hockey team in its third year as a united unit, won its first Section V Class B championship Monday in dramatic fashion -- pulling out an overtime victory.

United struck first in the first period. 

Brennen Pedersen came off the bench to keep the puck from crossing the blue line for offsides, taking a pass from Jameson Motyka and opening up the scoring for United 1-0 with seven minutes left in the opening period.

Nine minutes into the second period, Ivan Milovidov scored unassisted, which gave United a 2-0 lead.  

Webster Thomas cut the lead by one goal, scoring with four minutes left in the period to make it 2-1.

In the third period, after two penalty kills, United maintained the lead with under four minutes left. Webster Thomas scored again to tie the game 2-2 and send it into overtime.

In overtime, each squad had opportunities until Joe DiRisio scored the game-winner on a rebound to give BND the Class B title.  

BND United had 34 shots on goal.  Rhys Tanner made 32 saves for United.

Section V awards were given to Joe DiRisio, named MVP, and Ivan Milovidov, player of the game.

United moves on to the Regional round versus Kenmore East at Noon on Saturday at RIT.

Coach Marc Staley said he told his team going into overtime to take a couple of deep breaths and go out and do what they've done all year, to trust the process.

"This game could have gone either way," Staley said. "I mean, their goalie made some great saves. Our goalie made some great saves. We ended up getting a loose puck in front of the net, and we banged it home. That's how it goes."

He added, "You know, you get a little luck when you need it.  We got a little luck when we needed it."

DiRisio, who scored the winning goal, credited the win to the close bond between team members.

"We just stayed together, really, DiRisio said. "We're brothers. We're family. We love each other. And we knew we had to stay level for it. I feel like being level mentally is 80 percent of the game. It's just it's huge."

The win, making history for the program, was a magical moment, he said.

"Obviously, it's history. It's kind of a numbing feeling because you're just so excited; at least, I am. It's just, it's incredible. It really is."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Brian Cline continued his torrid bowling season last week by firing a 300 game and 770 series in the Mancuso Real Estate Doubles League at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.

The 45-year-old left-hander from Middleport spun games of 278, 192 and 300, raising his average to 239.

In December, he posted a perfect game in an 857 series in the Monday night league.

In other action around the Genesee Region USBC:

-- Tom Fluker of Batavia kept the hot hand in the StrikeForce Tuesday Doubles League at StrikeForce Lanes in Oakfield, starting with a 290 game on the way to a 751 series.

-- William Wood of Rochester started with a 276 game in a 765 series in the Thursday Owls League at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen. His other games were 231 and 258.

-- Dean Cadieux Jr. of Oakfield led the way in the Sunday Rolloffs League at Medina Lanes with a 267 game and 774 series.

-- In the Wednesday Community League at Medina Lanes, Juliana Allis of Medina registered 267--701.

For a list of high scores for the week, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.

LEROYANS WIN NO-TAP DOUBLES

Le Roy residents Rob Panepento and Rick Howe teamed for a 1,649 series, with handicap, to capture the Genesee Region USBC No-Tap Doubles Tournament title last weekend at Legion Lanes in Le Roy.

The winners split $480 for their efforts.

For more information about the tournament and other GRUSBC news, go to www.bowlgr.com.

KING & QUEEN SET FOR SATURDAY

The annual King & Queen Mixed Doubles Handicap Tournament is scheduled for this Saturday, with squads at noon and 2 p.m., at Mancuso Bowling Center.

First place is guaranteed at $500. Entry fee is $50 per team. To enter, call 716-474-7960 or 585-343-1319.

In a charity hockey game on Sunday at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena, Batavia PD beat the City Fire Department pretty handily, 11-3, but more importantly, 598 people attended, and the event raised $2,660 for the David M. McCarthy Memorial Foundation.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Press release:

The Genesee Amateur Hockey Association hosted 37 registered youngsters as well as five “walk-ins” at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street on Saturday for a Try Hockey For Free Event as part of “USA Hockey  Week  Across  America,” which was celebrated at 285  ice areas across the entire United States.   

Starting at 10:40 a.m. and going until noon, local youth, ages 4 to 9, were welcomed at the rink to experience getting on the ice, learning how to “skate”, getting up after falling, basic skills with a hockey stick and shooting punks into a hockey net (all by being guided by the head coach and on-ice helpers).  This year, the youngsters had the experience of shooting on actual goalies. 

“We welcomed families to McCarthy Ice Rink from Batavia, Buffalo, Byron, Corfu, LeRoy, Nunda, East Bethany, Alexander, Byron, Brockport, Albion, Wyoming, Rochester, and Elba to try our great sport of ice hockey,” said Sharon Gray, coordinator of the “Try Hockey for Free” event. “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces and for the youngsters the on-ice experience.”

The head coaches for today’s event were Tim Sprague and Dan Calkins – both with more than 30 years plus starting out as GAHA players, high school players and GAHA coaches over the years.  Most of the on-ice helpers were from this year’s Batavia-Notre Dame United high school team along with their coaches – Marc Staley and John Kirkwood.  

The youngsters were excited to be coached, aided and skating with these local athletes. Also on the ice were coaches and players from the GAHA organization.  The beginning of the event featured the playing of the National Anthem, and the little people stood so proudly alongside the BND players!

The event is hosted by Try Hockey for Free Coordinators, Sharon and Bob Gray,  and the GAHA Beginner Player Coordinator,  Marcia Barnes, on behalf of the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association, which provided the ice, and the McCarthy rink staff, Katie Murray (general manager), Matt Gray (rink operating manager), and their staff.  

It is the team’s goal to provide the hockey experience to area youngsters free of charge and encourage them in  October to become a player in the GAHA Beginner Program, which starts the first week of October.  The Beginner Program consists of two sessions (October to December and January to March) with a total of 15 on-ice hours per session.

The skates used by the youngsters were provided “free of charge” by the McCarthy Rink  Management Group.

USA Hockey’s Try Hockey program, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge.  Pure Hockey (sponsor of USA Hockey) provided free USA Try Hockey jerseys to each child.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:  THE NEXT THFF EVENT WILL BE THE FIRST SATURDAY OF NOVEMBER 2024!!!

Photos by Howard Owens.

Casper Stewart did something on Saturday that nobody else in Batavia High School history has ever done before -- win a state championship.

He was crowned the Division II 145-pound champ after beating Kieran Cullen (Greenville, Section II) 4-2 in the finals.

His path to victory included a preliminary win over Turner Sochia (Gouverneur, Section X), a quarterfinals win over Colton Havens (Canisteo-Greenwood, Section V), and a semifinal win over Riley Monica (South Jefferson, Section III).

He finishes the season with a 52-3 record and a career record of 279-20. He was a six-time state qualifier, finishing third in 2020, 4th in 2022, and third in 2023.

His 279 wins is fourth all-time in career wins in New York State, and his 202 career pins rank him first all-time in the state and #4 nationally.

He is committed to wresting at Army West Point, a Division I program.

Submitted photos.

The Byron-Bergen Bees advanced on Saturday in the Section V Class C2 tournament with a 69-37 quarterfinal win over Eugenio Maria de Houstos.

Braedyn Chambry scored 26 points for the Bees. Brendan Pimm scored 15, and Brody Baubie and Colin Martin scored nine each.

Byron-Bergen is the #1 seed in Class C2 and will face the #4 seed, York, on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Cal-Mum.

Also in Boys Basketball:

• Also in Class C2, Alexander beat Cuba-Rushford 71-44.  Alexander is the #2 seed, led by first-year coach Jalen Smith. Alexander plays a semifinal game against Bolivar-Richburg at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Letchworth.
• In Class C1, Pembroke beat Warsaw 69-52. Tyson Totten scored 40 points and had 10 rebounds. Pembroke Plays East Rochester in the semifinal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Pittsford Sutherland.
• In Class C3, Notre Dame beat C.G. Finney 87-73. Notre Dame's semifinal is against Filmore at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Letchworth.
• In Class D, Elba beat Jasper-Troupsburg 53-44.  Elba plays Andover-Whitesville on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Wayland-Cohocton.
• In Class B2, Le Roy beat Attica, 64-49. Merritt Holly, 26 points and 17 rebounds, Matthew Hockey, 18 points, and Jake Higgins, 11 points. Le Roy, at #5, plays #1 seed Avon at 6 p.m. on Monday at Haverling.

Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro.

Elba beat Notre Dame on Friday in the Class D Girls Basketball Quarterfinal, 55-47. 

Sydney Reilly and Lydia Ross both scored 20 points for the Lancers. 

Emma Sisson scored 20 points for Notre Dame, and she had 12 rebounds. Lucia Fiorentino contributed 12 points and 5 rebounds. Sofia Falleti had 7 points and 14 rebounds. 

"We had a tremendous season with many accomplishments," said Notre Dame Coach Vinny Falleti. "With two seniors and underclassmen, this team came together and worked so hard this season. Even though it wasn’t the ending we had hoped for, I am so proud of this team. Irish Proud!”

Elba plays in the Class D semifinal on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Mount Morris against Avoca-Pratssburgh.

Photos by Debra Reilly

Press Release:

Members of the Alexander Varsity Riflery Team, sponsored by the Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post 332 Batavia, competed at the 2024 CMP 3PAR Championships held at the American Legion Post 787 in Cicero on Feb. 18.

The team was led by Devin Bubel, placing 21st overall with a score of 502, followed by Morgan Kidder (35th) with a score of 464.

8th graders, Morgan Kidder and Harrison McPhee were awarded medals in age group 3. McPhee placed 3rd in the kneeling position, while Kidder placed 2nd in prone, kneeling, and overall.

Rounding out the team were Charlotte Saraceni and Abigail Russel, placing 38th and 42nd, respectively.

While the American Legion season has ended, Bubel, Kidder, and Alexander teammate Katelyn Green will be competing in the NYS High School Championships being held in Orchard Park on March 2.

Batavia Notre Dame United moved one step closer to a Section V title in hockey, winning the Class B semifinal over Canandaigua on Wednesday 5-4.

Scoring:

• Jameson Motyka scored two times and had one assist
• Ivan Milovidov scored two times and had one assist
• Brady Johnson scored once and added one assist.
• Orian Lama had two assists

Goalie Rhys Tanner made 18 saves on 22 shots.

Mason Smith had 2 goals and 1 assist for Canandaigua.  

While United managed 40 shots in the game, Canandaigua goalie Charlie Fuller stopped 35.

United will play for the Class B title on Monday at 5:30 p.m. at RIT against Webster Thomas.

Photos by Pete Welker.

Oakfield-Alabama, coming in as the #3 seed, beat #14 seed Geneseo to open Class C1 sectional play on Tuesday 67-53.

Ryan Caitlin scored 20 points to lead the Hornets. Alea Groff scored 19, and Jess Sosnowski scored nine.

The Hornets jumped to a 22-11 lead in the first quarter and led at the half 38-22. Then Geneseo pulled to within five points in the third quarter but O-A held tight in the final quarter for the win.

O-A takes on Lyons at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Also in Girls Basketball on Tuesday:

• Notre Dame gets first-round win over Lyndonville in Girls Basketball
• Elba gets first-round win, Reilly tops 1K career points
• Alexander picks up first-round win in Girls Basketball
• Pembroke beat Red Creek, 56-40. Seneca Calderon scored 15 points and had five rebounds. Elle Peterson scored 11 points. Peyton Liss and Reagan Schneider each scored eight points.
• Byron-Bergen beat Holley 50-27
• Pavilion beat South Seneca 51-47

In Boys Basketball: Batavia lost to Geneva 55-40. Casey Mazur scored 13 points, and Carter Mullen scored nine points.

To view or purchase photos, click here.  

Sydney Reilly topped 1,000 career points in an Elba Lancers 98-32 win on Tuesday in a first-round, Class D sectional win over Romulus.

The Lancers are the #3 seed in the tournament and next take on Notre Dame (#6) on Friday at Elba at 6 p.m.

No stats were submitted for the game.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Alexander beat Wheatland-Chile 45-25 on Tuesday the Class C2 first-round sectional playoff in Girls Basketball. 

Alyssa Kramer scored 17 points for the Trojans. Hayden Bezon scored 11 and Holly Bykowski scored 8.

Alexander is the #5 seed and next plays #5 seed Cal-Mum on Friday at Alexander in the Class C2 quarterfinal. Game time is 6 p.m.

Photos by Brennan Bezon.

The Batavia Girls Track and Field Team won its 18th sectional title in Class A2 on Sunday at Nazareth College.

The boys' team came in 3rd.

The girls' team finished with 161 points, 40 points ahead of the second-place Pittsford Mendon. 

Individual results:

• Maddi Smith - 1st place 55 Hurdles
• Campbell Riley - 1st place 1000m, 1st place 1500m
• Ava Wierda - 1st place Weight Throw, 1st place Shot Put
• Ella Shamp - 1st place Long Jump, 1st Place High Jump
• Ava Anderson - 2nd place 55 Hurdles, 4th Place Long Jump
• Miah Jones - 6th place 55 Hurdles
• Jadyn Boyce - 4th place 600m
• Izzy Scott - 4th place 1500m
• Karizama Wescott - 4th place 300m, 3rd place Triple Jump
• Ella Radley - 6th place 300m, 6th place Long Jump
• Libby Grazioplene - 3rd place Shot Put
• Jaimin McDonald - 5th place Shot put, 4th place Weight Throw
• Drew Stevens - 3rd place Weight Throw
• Sophia Moore - 6th place Weight Throw
• Isabella Walsh - 2nd place High Jump
• London Graham - 4th place High Jump
• 4x800 Relay - 1st place Jenna Higgins, Helaina Staley, Izzy Scott, Campbell Riley
• 4x400 Relay - 1st place Ava Anderson, Kylee Brennan, Jadyn Boyce, Karizma Wescott
• 4x200 Relay - 2nd place Kylee Brennan, Ella Radley, Maddi Smith, Ella Shamp

The girls won 9 out of 17 events on the day.

Batavia is the smallest school of 17 teams in the A2 classification.  The 18 titles for Batavia have come over the past 22 years.

The boys team picked up 85.5 points, good enough for 3rd place. University Prep won sectionals with 98.5 points.  

Boys results:

• Sheldon Siverling - 1st place Shot Put, 1st place Weight Throw
• Cole Grazioplene - 1st place 600m, 5th place 300m
• Cooper Konieczny - 1st place Pole Vault
• Mekhi Fortes - 2nd place Shot Put, 5th place Weight Throw
• Karvel Martino - 3rd place Shot Put
• Cameron Garofalo - 3rd place 1000m, 5th place 1600m
• Parris Price - 4th place 300m
• Josh Budzinack - 5th place Pole Vault
• Grant Gahagan - 5th place High Jump
• 4x800 Relay - 4th place Jamari Irvin, Nate Kinsey, E'Nhazje Carter, Donavin Solis
• 4x400 Relay - 3rd place Trevor Tryon, Grant Gahagan, Cameron Garofalo, Parris Price
• 4x200 Relay - 5th place Trevor Tryon, Emmanuel Richardson, Lakoda Mruczek, Cole Grazioplene

Coach Nicholas Burk said Batavia's teams continue to excel because the athletes understand what it takes to be competitive in every meet.

"The kids need to commit," Burk said. "The kids need to recognize that this is a process, and you continue to improve. It gets more and more difficult for kids with all the distractions they have in life. So, kids have to commit; they have to enjoy this feeling of wanting to win again. I don't mean to necessarily sound overconfident, but we're going to be in the midst of it. Our kids are gonna give effort, and they're gonna work their tails off, so we're in a position where we're a top two, top three team, and we're gonna get after it, and you know, we're gonna build that confidence to try to win."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

LeRoyan Tom Rohl defeated Batavian John Wolff, 210-203, in a battle of left-handers to win the “Super Bowl” handicap singles tournament at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.

Rohl, 50, earned $500 while Wolff, 83 years young, took home $300 for their efforts in the event, which drew 43 entries last weekend.

Based on his 212 average, Rohl received three pins handicap and just managed to sneak past Wolff, who received 44 pins based on his 171 average.

Rohl downed Rich Wagner of Batavia, another lefty, while Wolff topped Rick Underhill of Batavia in the semifinals. Wagner and Underhill won $160 each.

Quarterfinalists were Brandon Luce of Oakfield (the high qualifier), Selena McJury of Batavia, Sam Oddo of Batavia and Austin Hawker of Geneseo. They won $120 apiece.

HEROLD HITS 290 AT LEGION LANES

In Genesee Region USBC league action last week, Le Roy Legion Lanes produced some high scores, with Shayne Herold's 290 game highlighting the American Legion Thursday Mens' League.

Herold finished with 737, behind Josh Cummings' 744. Mickey Hyde posted 725.

In the Le Roy Moose League, Zach Plath took top honors with games of 267 and 287 en route to a 746 series.

Submitted by Coach Matt Holman

On Tuesday, the Batavia Boys Alpine Ski team found a mixed bag of weather and conditions at Swain Resort. 

The warmer temperatures over the weekend led to a sugary snow, easily pushed away by each skier leading to a hard service with large banks of soft light snow. The morning sun turned to afternoon clouds and light snow of giant picturesque snowflakes.

The boys came in sixth place out of 11 teams in the competition.

Freezing overnight conditions left the race course in great condition for the girls on Wednesday. 

The soft snow from the day before was much more solid and the girl skiers did not have to worry about snow piles of any kind. The day was perfect for ski racing, with bluebird skies minimal cloud coverage, and the bright spring sun.

The girls, competing with an incomplete team, came in eighth place out of 11 teams.